Clutch for automobiles



S. G. BAIT CLUTCH FOR AUTOMOBILES Oct. 27 1925.

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P'Arsr anni..

EURT G. BA'IS, @3F DETTE, IELICHIGLN, ABBIGNOR T0 HUmdm' MOTUR C BAW, DI DEOIT, MCHIGQQN, A CORPRATION @El MKEll-AN.

@EURE FR AUTOHOBILES.

.application ated ingaat 2, 1923. Serial' No. @$515,253.

.To all whom it may Genicom."

Be it known that l, dmanr G. Barre, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county ot Wayne and State ot Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Clutches' for Automobiles, oi which the following is a speeltication, references being had therein to the accompanying drawings. o

The present invention has for its oloyect an improved clutch for use in automobiles or other motor vehicles. The particular ohject o1 the invention is to provide a clutch which will loe simple-and inexpensive to con struct and which will he more satisfactory to the user owing to the reduction in the mass and` consequently the momentum of the moving parts.

The invention will he fully understood from the following description. when taken in connection with the accompanying drawin and the novel features thereof will he pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close or thisfspecification.

In the drawings: v

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken suhstantially on the line 1'-1 oi' Fig. 2, of a clutch embodying the present invention.

2 is a section on line 2 2, Fig. 1,the casing heing omitted.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the spider.

Referring now to the drawings: at 1 is shown a crank shaft of an engine and at 2 the front end of 'the driven shaft oi the Th transmission, said shaft havin a gear 30 thereon. At 3, in dotted lines, is shown the flywheel secured h bolts t to a flange 5 on the crank shaft. e dywheel 3 forms the forward part of the clutch casing. At 6 is shown a housing secured by cap screws 7 to the Hywheel. Between the fiywheel 3 and the housing 6 is the usual series of driving 9 in Fig. l, which pass through the driving rings 10.

ese rings may be provided with cork inserts as shown at C in Fig. 1, if desired. The driven rin s are shown at 111. and alternate with the riving rin s 10. lSurrounding the driving pins 9 an separating each of the drivin rings 10 are small spiral srin 12. 'lese springs tend to separate t e rivin plates whenever the pressure which hol s them together is released.

Loose on the driven shaft 2 isa throwout bearing 13 operated by fingers 14, shown the clutch pedal, not shown. The throwout hearing 13 when pushed forward to release the clutch acts on a star shaped member 15 having arms 8 which carry pins 16 each surrounded hy a spring 17 which is guided in a thimhle 18. These pins 16 are each riveted to the forward driven ring 11. @n the front end ci the shaft- 2 is a squared portion 19 which lits into a corresponding hole 191 in a spider 20. The spider 20 is of aluminum and is held against longitudinal movement on the shaft hy a taper pin 21' The spider 20 is oi the shape shown in Figure 2 and can preferably be made of an aluminum casting"and therefore can loe of very light weight. Since the hole 191 in the spider 20-which fits onto the squared end 19 of the shazttl 2 is itself square,1 the load caused by the` rotative effeet is not taken by the taper pin 21, but is taken by thel squared end. Thevspider, 20 has arms 22 forked as shown at a to receive the corresponding lugs b on the inner peripllery of the driven rings 11. At 23 is shown a steel plate riveted as indicated at 91 to the rearo'f the spider 20. This plateperiorms the Ifunctions of one of the driven rings 11 and carries the thiinloles 18 which contains the clutch springs 17 Heretoiore, it has been customary to make a single casting containing in one piece the forks 22 ot' spider 20 and the rear' plate or backing 23. is has necessitated heavy construction with additional weight at a distance from the axis of rotation and therefore has increased the momentum ofthe clutch after being released; consequently, has increased the dithculty of shifting gears. It has also been necessary to make this part of iron or steel on account of the loads which it is required to carry and this has further increased the objections due toinoinentum. B makingthe spider 20 and the backing p ate 23 of aluminum and sheet steel respectively, it is possible to reduce the weight greatlywithout any reduction in strength.

The clutch embodying the present invention operates in exactly the same manner as clutches constructediin the ordinary' way. When the clutch pedal is depressed the throw-out collar 13 is moved forward, pushing the pins 16 forward and compressing the springs 17. The pins 16 carries the forward driven ring .11

forward movement of the forward and permits the separating s 12 to separate the driving rings 10. hereafter, the spider 20, backmg plate 23, driven rings' 11, shaft 2 and gear 30 are free to revolve independently of the engine and of the propeller shaft if the gears of the transmission are in neutral position.

What I claim is: i

1. In a disk clutch for motor vehicles, the combination of a driven shaft, a spider thereon having forked arms, driven rings having lugs engaging the said forked arms, a backing plate secured to said spider, and thimbles ,for clutch springs inserted in said backing plate.

rings 2. In a disk clutch for motor vehicles, the combination of driving rings, a driven shaft having a non-circular end, an aluminum s idei` secured to said shaft and having fork arms, driven `rings Lhavin lugs en-` ga saidV forked arms, a bacling plate of thm sheet steel secured to said spider, and thimbles for clutch springs inserted in said backing plate, said backing plate being in contact with one of the driving rings and also driven ring. Y

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

' 'STUART G. BAITs.

performing the functions of. a 

